I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again
by DreaminOfMyLove
Summary: Updated 4/2/09...After Mitchie leaves Camp Rock before Final Jam, Mitchie and Shane have their own adventures before coming together again. Will they make sweet music together? Shane gets a girlfriend, Mitchie gets a record deal...and lots more.
1. I Want To Go Home

**I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again**

Author's Note: This story will take our favorite characters to new places not explored in the movie. Shane and Mitchie won't be together for a lot of it, but they'll eventually get their "Happily Ever After." This is a sort of songfic in that each chapter will feature a Lenny Kravitz song. I thought of the title as I was listening to the radio and "Again" came on.

"_All of my life where have you been? I wonder if I'll ever see you again. And if that day comes I know we could win. I wonder if I'll ever see you again."_

Background: Following Tess' accusation against Caitlyn and Mitchie, Mitchie's mother decides to pull Mitchie from camp. While her mother stays, her father comes to pick her up and take her home. Subsequently, there is no final jam performance.

**Chapter One: I Want To Go Home**

_I wanna, I wanna go home  
I just wanna get along with my life  
I wanna, I wanna go home  
I just wanna get along with my life_

_(At Camp Rock)_

_**SHANE**_

Still reeling from Mitchie's deception, Shane wanted nothing more than to leave Camp Rock behind. It was something the "old" him would do, just up and leave without thinking about who he would be hurting. Even if everything she did and said was a lie, Mitchie had changed him. He was a better person, even if she wasn't. But he wasn't too happy about seeing Mitchie around all the time. She'd made a fool of him and he hated to be reminded of it whenever he saw her face.

When Shane found out that Mitchie had left camp, he was surprised that he wasn't happier. When he looked out at his dance class and her face wasn't staring back at him, he felt something he couldn't name. He brushed the thought aside and threw himself into teaching. Later that night as he sat holed up in his room, he had some time to think.

"Ok, Shane be honest with yourself. You cared about her and she lied to you. Some part of you was hoping that if she was still here she'd find some way to prove to you that it wasn't all a lie. But her leaving shows that she didn't think there was anything important enough to fight for. She's leaving this all behind and so should you. First thing you've got to do is stop talking to yourself."

The next morning, Shane got up early and walked outside. It was a new day and he planned to make the most of it. He was thinking about what to do when his uncle came walking up the path to his cabin.

"You're up early" Brown stated the obvious.

"Yeah I thought I'd do something productive. Problem is, I can't think of anything to do." Shane answered.

Brown knew what he thought Shane should do. Get on plane out of here and get Mitchie to come back. But he also knew that his nephew was hurting. He was sorry Mitchie and Caitlyn hadn't gotten his not to subtle hints about the "end of Final Jam." He knew Mitchie could make Shane see past the mix up if only she'd stayed.

"Why don't you work on some music? You've been writing some good stuff recently. You should hold on to whatever is inspiring you." Brown suggested.

"Yeah I'll write songs about being lied to…But that is a good idea. I'll go down to the lake and see if I can't think of something." Shane decided.

He went into his cabin to get his guitar and started walking toward the lake to find a quiet place to work. It was still too early for most campers, and he didn't see anyone else on his way. He had almost made it to his favorite spot when he heard someone singing. It sounded like it was coming from that very spot.

"Great. I can't even write a song in peace." Shane said, starting to walk away to find another spot. But some of the words being sung drifted to his ears.

"_This is real. This is me. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now. Gonna let the light shine on me." _

Shane couldn't move for a moment. He'd finally found her. Whoever she was he knew she was someone special. Shane stepped out from the path to speak to the girl.

"I've been looking all over for you…Oh my gosh…" Shane said to the girl sitting alone by the lake.


	2. Tunnel Vision

**I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again**

Author's Note: Another Mitchie-less chapter. She'll hopefully be in the next one so you can see what she's doing. I do have this entire story planned out I just don't know how I'm gonna put out the chapters since Mitchie and Shane will be living separate lives for a while. Anyway, hope you enjoy

"_All of my life where have you been? I wonder if I'll ever see you again. And if that day comes I know we could win. I wonder if I'll ever see you again."_

**Chapter Two: Tunnel Vision**

_All I want, is all you got  
Make me happy baby and I'll make it hot  
I don't need no doctor to tell me what to do  
'Cause I know I'm goin' straight ahead for you  
I got that tunnel vision goin' through my head  
I can't help myself all I see is red  
Tunnel vision goin' through my head_

_(At Camp Rock)_

_**TESS**_

"I've been looking all over for you…Oh my gosh. What's the matter, Tess?" Shane said as he rushed to her side. Tess had stopped singing and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Tess had to admit, her plans had worked out even better than she had hoped. She'd gotten Shane and every one else to turn against Mitchie by revealing Mitchie's lie. And then by accusing Caitlyn and Mitchie of stealing her charm bracelet, she'd gotten rid of Mitchie all together. She'd really only wanted to make sure Shane didn't find out that Mitchie was his mystery girl. But when Mrs. Torres had said that Mitchie would be leaving, Tess saw how much better that would be. She'd immediately rushed off to pack up Mitchie's things. She'd grabbed all of Mitchie's "China" clothes and thrown them into her bag. She purposely left out Mitchie's notebook, knowing she'd need it to memorize Mitchie's song. When Mitchie arrived at her former cabin, she found all of her stuff unceremoniously dumped on the porch. Mitchie was too humiliated to make sure everything was there. Within the hour, Mitchie was off to the airport. Tess was sure she'd be out of her and Shane's lives for good.

After Mitchie's departure, Tess put her own plan into effect. She thought about performing the song at final jam, but realized that Ella and Peggy would know it wasn't hers. So she decided she'd sing it when only Shane was around. But then she'd need a reason for her not to sing it all to him. She had all the lyrics but she didn't know the tune except for the part Mitchie had sung in their cabin. She spent that night trying to come up with an excuse. She was about to give up for the night when she got a call from her mother.

"Mom? What's up?" She asked, excited that her mother was actually calling her.

"Oh Honey, I have some bad news." Her mother said, sounding upset.

"What's wrong?" Tess asked, somewhat concerned.

"You're grandfather passed away today. I'm at the hospital now." Her mother explained.

"Oh. I'm sorry mom." Tess said.

"The funeral is the day after tomorrow. I'm sending a car to get you." Her mother said.

"But mom. It's almost final jam. I can't just leave." Tess complained.

"Tess Tyler. He's your grandfather." Her mother stated.

"I know but it's not like we were even close. I haven't seen him in years." Tess whined.

"That's because you refused to see him." Her mother said.

"Well I didn't want to go to some nursing home and talk to an old man I never even liked." Tess argued.

"You are coming and that's final. If I hear another word from you I won't have you flown back after the funeral." Her mother said, angrily.

"Fine." Tess said before hanging up.

"What happened?" Peggy asked. She'd overheard the conversation and was curious.

"My grandfather died and I have to go to the funeral the day after tomorrow." Tess answered, distractedly. She was trying to think of a way to spin this situation in her favor.

"I guess you weren't close." Peggy said.

"No I haven't seen him in years. He's been sick for a long time and I hate nursing homes. Anyway, he wasn't exactly my best friend before he got sick anyway. He didn't care at all about music. He owned a store." Tess said.

If she wasn't so distracted she probably wouldn't have revealed that bit of information about her not so glamorous family background. As such, Peggy just smiled, thinking about the first day when Mitchie had mentioned her father owned a hardware store. She was sorry Mitchie had left. Of course she had lied to them, but Peggy was starting to see why she might have felt like it was necessary. Tess could make life horrible if she didn't like you. She could even make life horrible if she did like you…or pretended to like you. For the time being, Peggy was just happy that she wasn't on Tess' bad side.

It took Tess all of five minutes to come up with a perfect plan. She'd use her grandfather's death to explain why she couldn't sing all of the song to Shane. She'd just make sure he heard her when he thought she didn't know he was listening.

"Hm…I should work on my tears. Let's put all those acting classes to good use." Tess said to herself as she went into the bathroom to practice crying on cue. She'd used this particular act a few times. It had always worked like a charm.

The next morning Tess got up at the crack of dawn. She wanted to get this over with today since she would be leaving tomorrow morning for the funeral. She planned on hanging out outside of Shane's cabin to see if she could overhear his plans for the day. As fate would have it, she came along just in time to duck behind a tree as Brown was talking to Shane.

"Why don't you work on some music? You've been writing some good stuff recently. You should hold on to whatever is inspiring you." She heard Brown say.

"Yeah I'll write songs about being lied to…But that is a good idea. I'll go down to the lake and see if I can't think of something." Shane answered.

Tess smiled. Shane was still mad at Mitchie. "I'm glad he's not sorry to see her go." Tess watched as Shane walked into his cabin. She realized that this was her moment. "Obviously this is fate." She thought as she rushed to the spot by the lake that she knew Shane frequented. She sat down and waited until she could see Shane coming down the path. She worked up some tears and then began singing.

"_This is real. This is me. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now. Gonna let the light shine on me." _

Tess stopped and waited for Shane to come out into the open and express his joy at finding his mystery girl. Five seconds later, he did just that. She heard his voice saying, "I've been looking all over for you" before stepping in front of her. She put on her saddest face and willed more tears to fall when he looked down at her.

"Oh my gosh. What's the matter, Tess?" Shane said as he knelt down in front of her. Tess took this opportunity to exploit Shane's concern. She cried out "Oh Shane," before wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. She smiled to herself as Shane wrapped his arms around her and consoled her.


	3. I Love The Rain

**I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again**

Author's Note: And what is Mitchie doing while Tess is stealing her man? Will she return home and sit around all summer long? Or will she embark on her own adventure. We now get to find out. Oh and thanks to my 3 wonderful reviewers. Working on the next chapter right after posting this.

"_All of my life where have you been? I wonder if I'll ever see you again. And if that day comes I know we could win. I wonder if I'll ever see you again."_

**Chapter Three: I Love The Rain**

_I love the rain. I've held our memories all of these years. So many good times and many tears. I share my dreams with her. I share my fears. So I just walk with her until she veers off in the distance. I love the rain._

_**MITCHIE**_

Mitchie wasn't sure if she wanted to leave Camp Rock. A part of her wanted to stick around. Leaving was like admitting she was a complete liar. Ok, so she was a liar but it was just one lie. Everything else she did, all of the friends she'd made…besides Tess, Ella, and Peggy…was real. Even Ella and Peggy, she'd genuinely liked them and she thought that they may have liked her even without the whole "Hot Tunes China" thing. But now she had no way of proving herself to everyone. Her mother had gotten so angry at the accusation, she immediately told Brown that Mitchie would be leaving.

"My daughter didn't do anything wrong. If this is the type of place that will penalize a girl based one girl's accusations, I don't want her here. My daughter came here because of the music. If you take that away from her, she has no reason to be here." Her mother had said to Brown.

Mitchie had been shocked that her mother would raise her voice and practically yell at her boss. She was proud of her mother and grateful that her mother had instantly known that Mitchie was innocent. It took her a moment to realize that her mother was taking her out of camp. She immediately looked at Tess and saw a look of pure satisfaction on the blonde's face. "I guess she's getting what she wants after all." Mitchie thought to herself. Tess then ran out of the room. "Off to gloat…" Mitchie thought. Mitchie overheard her mother discussing with Brown that she would finish her job since she had signed a contract, but she had no intention of returning next year. If she wasn't before, her mother was now her hero.

Later, Mitchie sat in her mother's cabin putting off the inevitable. She would have to get her things from her cabin. Her mother was calling her father when the cabin door opened. Mitchie was relieved to see Caitlyn. At least Caitlyn was still her friend.

"Hey can I talk to you?" Caitlyn said.

"Sure, let's go outside." Mitchie suggested. The two girls sat on the porch.

"Sucks." Caitlyn said.

"I know. My whole summer is ruined because of that stupid stupid lie." Mitchie said.

"It was stupid." Caitlyn answered.

"Not helping." Mitchie said.

"I know, sorry. But I've got a fantastic plan." Caitlyn said.

"What?" Mitchie asked, intrigued.

"You can come to New York with me." Caitlyn said.

"What?" Mitchie asked.

"I'm going home too. Just got off the phone with my dad. There's no point in me sticking around either. I figure it'll be more fun for the both of us if you spend the rest of the summer with me. Who knows, we might even make a hit song or something. I've got lots of new production equipment I want to try out on a real singer. And I'm thinking a summer at home with your dad isn't exactly at the top of you list of things you want to do." Caitlyn explained.

"I don't know. I'd have to ask my mom." Mitchie said, trying to hide her excitement. Maybe her summer wouldn't be wasted after all.

"You just did. Let me talk to your father, Caitlyn and I'm sure we can work something out. Mitchie, your father just informed me that he had planned a 2-week fishing trip with his friends. Even though he said he'd be happy for you to spend the rest of summer with him, I think he'll live if you don't." Mrs. Torres said from the doorway.

Mitchie took this opportunity to make the trip to get her stuff. She was both relieved and annoyed that her stuff appeared to be thrown on the porch. She quickly grabbed her things, praying not to run into any of the other residents. Fate was on her side for once.

When she returned to her mother's cabin, everything was planned. Mitchie would fly out to New York with Caitlyn the next day. The two would spend time "seeing the sights" and not just working on music. Caitlyn's mother was a stay at home mom, so Mrs. Torres wouldn't have to worry about supervision.

That night, Mitchie as she laid down in her mother's cabin she took time to reflect on what had happened. She was excited about her trip to New York, but not as excited as she thought she should be. A certain brown haired boy kept getting in the way of her excitement. She should be more upset that a whole camp of kids thought she was a big fat liar. But only one person mattered. Unfortunately, he was the one who thought she was the biggest liar of all. Mitchie realized she wouldn't get to sleep any time soon. She opted to pull on a light jacket and go for a walk.

As she stepped outside in the cool air, she noticed that it smelled like rain. Ever since she was a kid she'd loved the rain. There was something about the sound and the feel of it that soothed her soul. As she walked down a random path she felt the cold water start to fall. She looked up at the dark night and let it fall on her. Tears started to stream from her eyes as she thought about what she had lost. She'd really cared about Shane and she was certain he had felt something for her too. But that look on his face when he'd found out her secret was branded on her memory. Mitchie closed her eyes tight, willing the rain to wash away that terrible memory. She stood still for a few minutes before opening her eyes again. The rain did it's job. Now she thought of Shane looking at her while he sang. She'd hold onto that memory. Maybe one day she could find a way to make it up to him. But if she couldn't, she'd have that beautiful memory to hold onto forever.

"I love the rain." She thought to herself as she walked back to her cabin.


	4. A New Door

**I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again**

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews and adds. I'm gonna try and update as much as possible but I'll be moving in about a week so who knows what's gonna happen then. Another Shane/Tess chapter. Eventually I'll have chapters with both character storylines, but I'm writing these quickly when I get a chance.

"_All of my life where have you been? I wonder if I'll ever see you again. And if that day comes I know we could win. I wonder if I'll ever see you again."_

**Chapter Four: A New Door**

_I can see that look in your eyes. You're in need of something you can't find. You're tired of holding on to the pain. You haven't got the strength to hold the reigns. You are out of lane. I know you can't take it. I know you can't take it anymore. I know you can't fake it. I know you can't fake it anymore. Now it's time for you to open a new door_

**TESS & SHANE**

"I'm sorry." Tess said after a few moments of staying in Shane's arms. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up apologetically.

"It's ok. Do you want to talk about it or should I leave you alone?" Shane asked.

"No!...I mean I don't really want to be alone. I just found out my grandfather died." Tess explained.

"Oh I'm so sorry." Shane replied.

"He was like my best friend. I don't know what I'm going to do without him. He's gone and I'm all alone." Tess sniffled for effect. "God, he is eating this all up." She thought to herself.

"Look you've got lots of people that care about you. Your mom, Peggy, Ella…" Shane tried to console her.

"Hah. My mom barely calls. Peggy and Ella…well they don't really care about me. They just care that I'm TJ Tyler's daughter." Tess said, knowing that Shane would sympathize with her. She'd overheard his little conversation with Mitchie about never knowing who really cared about him.

Shane was silent for a moment. She was so much like him, but he hadn't really paid her too much attention. She was too cookie cutter pop star for him. But then again, wasn't that what everyone thought of him. Maybe she was just looking for someone to see the real her. He thought of her song again. "I know how you feel. Well…I'm here if you ever need anyone to talk to." Shane said finally.

Tess was relieved when he finally spoke. He was silent for a while and she was afraid she'd laid it on a little too thick. But fortunately he still seemed to be buying her story. "Thanks Shane, you don't know what that means to me. Um…what were you saying when you first found me? I didn't catch it?" Tess asked.

Shane smiled, glad that she seemed to be perking up. "The song you were singing…It's the one I've been looking for. You know…the girl with the voice? Is it yours?" He asked.

Tess took this opportunity to start tearing up again.

"I'm sorry. Did I say something?" Shane asked.

"No. I'm sorry. It's just…I was singing it because…My grandfather and I wrote it. I don't really want to think about it anymore." Tess said.

"Oh. Well, I'm still glad I finally found you." Shane said, hiding his disappointment at not getting to her hear the song again.

"Really? Well, what does it mean…that I'm the girl with the voice?" Tess asked.

"It means I want to spend some time with you…I think you've got a lot to offer" Shane realized how that sound… "musically…I mean." He added.

Tess laughed, "do you mean it?" she asked.

"Yes." Shane answered.

Tess gave him a quick hug and smiled at him. Shane didn't know how mhe felt about all of this touching. The last thing he needed right now was another girl to distract him. But when Tess looked up at him he had to admit that without the posse she was pretty. She was now looking shyly up at him. He gave her a smile. She then leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before jumping up and rushing off.

"Give him something to think about." Tess thought to herself.

And Shane was thinking. He was thinking that maybe he'd found the way to erase the memory of Mitchie from his mind completely.

Over the next two weeks before final jam, Tess and Shane spent a lot of time together. Tess was careful to show her vulnerable side to Shane while maintaining her true self towards everyone else. If Shane noticed, he never mentioned it. She figured he'd understand her need to "put on a front." Too bad he didn't realize which was a front and which was the real her. Tess was frustrated that their relationship hadn't really moved beyond friendship. It wasn't for her lack of trying. She took every opportunity to get them in intimate situations. But Shane always found a way to get out of them. But Tess knew she was making progress.

It was the night before Final Jam and Tess was in Shane's cabin yet again. Shane was sitting on his bed, brooding as usual. Tess sure hoped it wasn't about Mitchie. "God, she's been gone for weeks and he is still thinking about her." She thought to herself. She had to do something now or he'd leave forever and never think about her again.

She started to hum "This is me" quietly, knowing it would get Shane's attention. She started to tear up again.

Shane instantly recognized the tune and turned towards the girl sitting by his bed. Honestly, he didn't know how he felt about Tess. Half the time she was super sweet and half the time she was something else. But still, she'd shared her vulnerable side with him and that was something.

"Hey, what's wrong? Is it your grandfather again?" Shane asked.

"Um…Can I be honest with you?" Tess asked, knowing honesty was something that would suck him in.

"Of course." Shane replied, willing himself not to think of another not-so-honest girl.

"It's you." Tess said quietly.

"Me?" Shane asked, confused.

"Well…me and you. I really like you Shane. But I don't know how you feel about me. And I really don't want to get hurt. I just know you're going to leave Camp Rock and never think about me again. And I'll be all alone again." Tess said, letting tears flow again.

Shane leaned over and wrapped his arms around her. He wasn't the kind of guy to leave a girl broken-hearted. He did care about Tess. "Don't worry. I wouldn't do that to you." He said.

"So it's ok if I do this?" Tess said. Before he could ask what, Tess leaned in and kissed him gently on the mouth.

It took him by surprise, but he didn't pull away. If she'd been more aggressive he probably would have stopped her. But there was something vulnerable in her tentative kiss. So he let her finish the kiss, but didn't really kiss her back.

Tess was disappointed that he didn't seem to be kissing her back. But she was happy that he hadn't pulled away. "Shane?"She asked, shyly.

"Yeah, it's ok. It's just…let's take this slow ok." Shane responded.

Tess was overjoyed, "But we don't really have much time left…" She said, hoping she sounded innocent.

"Well you live in LA and we're headed there anyway to finish up work on our next album. We'll have plenty of time." Shane said.

Tess was ready to jump up and down. Her plans had worked. But she had to seal the deal, "Do you mean we can…you know..date?"

Shane didn't know why the thought bothered him, but he brushed it aside. Here was an honest, sweet, pretty, and talented girl who simply wanted to date him. "Yeah…we can date." Shane finally answered.

Tess was so happy she didn't notice the slight grimace of pain on Shane's face. She was practically glowing. She couldn't wait to get back to the other campers to discreetly spread the news that she was Shane's new girlfriend. "Good bye, Mitchie," she thought to herself.

Meanwhile a certain part of Shane's unconscious was trying to kick him into realizing the mistake he was making. He grimaced at the pain. "Must have been something I ate."


	5. Live

**I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again**

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, I had to re-write parts and it's much longer than my other chapters. So Shane and Tess are dating?! The Horror!! Don't worry Mitchie's not gonna be left alone to cry about it. Oh and just so you know I just watched Camp Rock again and realize I'm full of continuity errors but you'll just have to deal with it.  This chapter introduces the character of Todd Sparrow and the group The Color Green. I'm pulling his character from the movie _Girl _with Dominique Swain and Sean Patrick Flannery. This is a long chapter without Shane. But I wanted to set up the relationships for the future.

"_All of my life where have you been? I wonder if I'll ever see you again. And if that day comes I know we could win. I wonder if I'll ever see you again."_

**Chapter Five: Live**

_Do just what you wanna do. Oh let the sun come shining through. Everybody live, live. Everybody live. Everybody live. You got to do it ..._

**MITCHIE & CAITLYN**

New York was exactly what Mitchie needed. Caitlyn didn't live in the city but they were always a short bus trip away from the center of the universe. They spend most of their time messing around with Caitlyn's production equipment or in the city. Caitlyn's mother gave her lots of freedom for a 16 year old girl. They were allowed to pretty much go wherever they wanted as long as they were back by midnight. Even that was pretty negotiable since they could always ask to stay at Caitlyn's friend's home in the city if they wanted to stay out later.

For the first time in her life, Mitchie got to experience life as a carefree teenager. It wasn't that her parents were overly strict. She just didn't really have anywhere to go or do back home. Her idea of a night out was going to the movies with Sierra and being back before 10. Now she was hanging out with groups of people and going to fun clubs in New York City. Obviously being 16 they weren't going to bars. But there were a lot of all ages music clubs in the city. Caitlyn had a diverse group of friends and a lot of them were into music. In these groups it didn't really matter if you were 16 or 35…ok maybe not 35…if you loved music you could hang out. Mitchie loved talking with people who loved music as much as she did and actually thought she had a worthwhile opinion. If she was honest with herself she would have realized that she was trying to get back what she had lost with Shane.

It was on the second week-end in New York that Mitchie got her own distraction. She didn't know that Shane was cavorting with a blond-haired, blue-eyed celebutante. But Mitchie was about to set her eyes on a blond-haired, green-eyed music god.

That night, Mitchie was hanging out in a coffee bar with Caitlyn and some friends. She was talking to Isabella, the friend whose house they would sleep at if they spent the night in the city. Lola was talking to Adam, a guy who they would see at a lot of shows they attended.

"I don't know. I'll have to ask Mitchie." Caitlyn said in response to something Adam asked.

"You'll have to ask me what?" Mitchie called over to Caitlyn.

"Do you want to take a road trip to Philly to see _The Color Green_ tonight?" Caitlyn asked.

"Tonight? It's almost ten. And who is _The Color Green_?" Mitchie asked.

A hush went over everyone within hearing distance. Mitchie felt like she'd sprouted a second head. Caitlyn came to her rescue, "Sorry guys, she's led a sheltered life….They're only the most talented unsigned band around."

"And Todd Sparrow is a musical genius." A male voice spoke up.

"He changed my life." Another person offered.

"And he's so hot." Isabella added.

"Personally, I like Ryan Link better." Caitlyn said.

"Who's that?" Mitchie asked, glad that the rest of the crowd seemed to have forgotten her faux pas.

"He's the Bassist. He does all the production too." Caitlyn answered.

"Of course he does." Mitchie laughed. "But is it worth it…you know to drive all the way over tonight?" Mitchie asked.

"Yes! They've been touring for over a year and this is the closest they've come so far." Caitlyn said.

"Well why aren't they coming to the city?" Mitchie asked.

"They are, but since they're from here the New York shows are almost impossible to get into. Adam knows a guy who does stage work at the venue in Philly. So he thinks we might be able to get in to see the band and maybe we can get put on the list for the New York show." Caitlyn explained.

Mitchie saw how excited Caitlyn was and didn't have the heart to disappoint her. And Mitchie was also interested in seeing this "musical genius" for herself. "Ok, I'll go." Mitchie agreed.

Two hours later Mitchie was regretting her decision. Adam hadn't been able to find his "friend' and was off searching for him. That left Mitchie, Caitlyn, and Isabella in the very back of the venue. That in itself wouldn't have been that bad, but the sound system apparently was on the fritz. So Mitchie couldn't see or hear anything other than loud girls screaming. The music was kind of broody music so it didn't really stand up over the screams, especially with the poor sound quality. Mitchie could make out something about "pain." Mitchie was sure there must be something good about it, but she was more into upbeat music herself.

By the end of the concert, Mitchie was nursing a huge headache. Adam finally reappeared and apologized for his absence. He made it up to them by taking them backstage. Mitchie found herself in a large room full of barely dressed girls and some somber looking guys. Mitchie knew she wouldn't be able to make it in amidst the shrieks of the girls. She opted to return to one of the rooms she'd past on the way which had an inviting looking couch in the corner.

Mitchie sat down on the couch and tried to will her headache away. "Maybe if I think about something else." But that wasn't a good idea. If Mitchie had a minute to think, there was only one thing she thought about…or one person. And he immediately came to her thoughts now. He was probably off somewhere with a million beautiful girls screaming for him. "Don't be stupid Mitchie. He's still at Camp Rock. There are nowhere near a million girls there." Mitchie said to herself. "Great…now I'm talking to myself." Mitchie started laughing, but her laughter quickly turned to tears. "Great now I'll have mascara running down my face and Isabella will ask what's wrong and…" Mitchie thought as more tears started to fall. She eventually calmed down enough to get try and wipe her mascara from her face. She then got up to look for a bathroom.

Mitchie heard a guitar coming from the next room and looked in. She saw a figure seated in a chair in the corner tuning a guitar. The person was hunched over but she could see blond hair. He was wearing an old t-shirt and jeans. He was also wearing one of those all access passes, so Mitchie assumed he worked for the band. Mitchie knew she shouldn't eavesdrop but she couldn't seem to force herself to walk away. She was saved the trouble when the guy looked up and saw her awake. Mitchie was about to apologize but was silenced when she got a look at the boy…well he wasn't exactly a boy. He looked 20, but there was something so purely beautiful about him. He had full lips that were exactly the kind of lips you'd want to kiss. Mitchie had no idea why she was thinking this. The only person she'd ever wanted to kiss was…well there was no point dwelling on that subject. He was smiling at her with those lips. He was also smiling at her with his eyes…his beautiful pale blue eyes.

"Lost?" The mystery boy asked.

"No…well, I was looking for a bathroom. Sorry." Mitchie said.

"You're sorry you're looking for a bathroom?" He laughed.

"No. Sorry…" Mitchie said before she stopped herself. "I do that…"

"It's ok. There's a bathroom over there if you want to use it." He said, pointing to a door in the room.

"Thanks." Mitchie said before walking to the room. She cringed when she looked in the mirror. Despite her feeble attempts, it was still obvious that she had been crying. She wiped her face before walking back into the room."

"All better?" He asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." Mitchie said, feeling uncomfortable.

Seeming to sense her discomfort, the boy changed the topic, "So what are you doing here? Why aren't you in there with all the cool kids?" He asked.

"Oh well…I don't really know the band. My two girl friends love them so they're in there. I had a headache so I thought I'd just hang out somewhere quiet." Mitchie explained.

"Oh. Well did you see the show?" He asked.

"Sort of…I couldn't see much." Mitchie replied.

"Well, what did you think?" He asked.

"It was ok, I guess. My friends told me they're the best thing ever and that the lead singer was a musical genius. I didn't really see anything that was all that impressive. I'm not really into their kind of music, I guess." Mitchie replied honestly.

"Ouch." He laughed.

"I mean…I didn't really hear anything anyway. I only heard a couple of lines here and their…something about pain. I was really far and all I pretty much heard was screaming." Mitchie added.

"Ok. Fair enough. You should come to the New York show. Maybe you'll get a better idea there." He suggested.

"My friends really want to go but they said it's almost impossible to get in." Mitchie responded.

"I could get you on the list if you wanted." He offered.

"Oh they'd be so happy." Mitchie responded.

"What about you, would you be happy?" He teased.

Mitchie blushed, "Well I guess I should give them a fair chance."

"Good answer. So what's your name, anyway?" He asked.

"Mitchie Torres." Mitchie responded.

The mystery boy took out a notebook from a backpack on the floor. Mitchie noticed it said "Songs" written on the cover. Mitchie smiled. She'd lost her own notebook somewhere at Camp Rock and hadn't had the heart to start a new one.

"So Mitchie Torres plus your two friends?" The boy asked.

Mitchie paused. She thought about Adam. He wasn't really her friend but he'd gotten them backstage here… "Better make that three." She corrected.

"Is this another girl friend?" He asked.

"No it's a boy." Mitchie responded.

"Oh…ok." He said, sounding disappointed.

Mitchie didn't know why but she quickly clarified… "I mean…it's a guy but he's just a friend…not really a friend-friend but…" She stopped herself before she sounded even stupider.

The boy smiled, "that's cool. I'll see you there then?" He asked.

Just then, Mitchie heard Caitlyn calling for her in the hall. "Yeah you will. I gotta run, that's my friend." Mitchie said before running out of the room.

"Where have you been? We were looking all over for you." Caitlyn asked.

"I had a headache so I just hung out in one of the rooms." Mitchie explained.

"Oh you missed out. It was awesome." Caitlyn said.

"Speak for yourself. Caitlyn wouldn't even let me go find Todd. She spent the entire time talking to Ryan…or staring at him talking to other people." Isabella complained.

"Well we couldn't even find Todd anyway." Caitlyn replied.

"I saw him walk in but Caitlyn wouldn't let me follow him." Isabella countered.

"Well, we already lost Mitchie and I didn't want to lose you too." Caitlyn said.

"Whatever. You could have at least asked Ryan to put us on the list for New York." Isabella said.

"Yeah and sound like every other desperate girl there." Caitlyn answered.

"Hello! You are desperate…for Ryan's loooveee." Isabella teased.

The girls all laughed as they headed to catch a subway to Isabella's. Mitchie was laughing so hard it took her a minute to remember to tell them her news.

"Well, while you guys were in there I met someone who works for The Color Green." Mitchie told the girls.

"Really?" Isabella and Caitlyn said simultaneously.

"Yeah and before you ask…Yes. He said he'd put us on the list." Mitchie told them.

Both girls let out deafening screams. Mitchie tried to hide as she noticed the other subway riders staring at them. The girls finally quieted down enough to ask Mitchie about the guy.

"So who's the guy?" Isabella asked.

"Oh I don't know his name. I think he does something with the guitars. He was tuning one of them." Mitchie replied.

"You left out the important parts." Isabella complained.

"Like what?" Mitchie asked.

"Was he cute? Is he single? Did he seem interested in you?" Isabella responded.

"Um…yeah he was cute. I don't know about the rest." Mitchie replied, embarrassed.

"He's cute! Well that's a good sign. We'll see him at the concert and let you know if you should go for it." Isabella responded.

Mitchie frowned. She was sure this guy was perfectly nice, but the last thing she wanted was to get involved with another guy. "I don't think that's a good idea." Mitchie said.

Caitlyn looked at Isabella face and frowned. Isabella didn't know about the whole "Shane debacle." "Yeah. He's with the band anyway. It's not like they could have a real relationship while he's on tour." Caitlyn said.

Mitchie smiled gratefully at her friend.

"You're right I guess. But it wouldn't hurt to do a little flirting…you know flash that million dollar smile of yours." Isabella said.

Mitchie blushed, but smiled at Isabella… "Maybe." She responded.

"Well that's better than a 'no.'" Isabella responded.

"What am I going to wear!?" Caitlyn screamed.

Mitchie laughed at her friend. Isabella was typically the high maintenance one. But Caitlyn had been freaking out for the past week.

"Caitlyn, you're acting like you didn't just see them less than a week ago." Mitchie said.

"But this time I'll talk to him and he'll remember me from last time and I don't know…" Caitlyn said, laughing.

"Maybe he'll realize you're the perfect girl for him and you'll run away and get married?" Mitchie asked.

"No way! We're not getting married…but the rest could happen." Caitlyn laughed.

Mitchie smiled, "Wear that. It's perfect." She was referring to the 15th outfit Caitlyn had tried on that day.

Caitlyn looked in the mirror and smiled, "Yes it is. Now what are you wearing?"

Mitchie looked at her jeans and t-shirt... "This?"

"No you're not." Isabella said as she stepped into the room. "Wear this." Isabella said, holding up a mini shirt and halter top.

Mitchie took one look and shook her head, "No thanks. I want to be comfortable."

"At least wear the skirt. It isn't that short." Isabella said.

"Can't we just go? We're going to be late." Mitchie whined.

"Not until you put on this skirt." Isabella replied.

Mitchie looked at Caitlyn for help. "Don't look at me. I think it's cute." Caitlyn said.

Mitchie threw up her hands in exasperation, "I'll wear the top."

"Deal!" Isabella said.

When they got to the venue, Mitchie was shocked at the number of people already waiting outside the venue. They walked to the side door where a smaller line had formed.

"Are all these people on the list?" Mitchie asked, looking at the model types standing in the line.

"Nah, they're just hoping their boobs will get them in." Caitlyn responded.

Mitchie blushed, "Caitlyn! They can hear you."

"Good. Now let's get inside." Caitlyn said.

The girls pushed to the front, ignoring the glares they were getting.

"Girls, girls, I can't let you in unless you're on the list." The doorman said.

Caitlyn and Isabella nudged Mitchie forward. Mitchie looked up at the man and almost forgot that she was supposed to be there. She hoped the guy she met actually remembered to put her on the list.

"Um…I'm supposed to be on the list." She finally said.

The guard looked doubtful, "Name?"

"Mitchie…Mitchie Torres. I met a guy and…" She said.

The guard looked down at his list. Mitchie watched nervously as he flipped through the pages. She breathed a sigh of relief when he seemed to stop in the middle of a page. "Mitchie Torres, plus three." Mitchie smiled, "that's me but…oh no I forgot about Adam." Caitlyn and Isabella both said "oh no" at the same time.

"Well, Mitchie Torres plus two here are your passes for later. You can go in a find a spot." The guard said, smiling.

The girls were practically jumping up and down as they walked into the door the guard opened for them. Isabella and Caitlyn smirked at the girls in the line who were giving them dirty looks. Inside, it was obvious to Mitchie that this was a different group than the group at the Philly show. These people all seemed to know the band. They were standing next to the drummer's girlfriend and the bassist's sister. Caitlyn quickly started talking to Ryan's sister. Mitchie was relieved when another group of girls who looked like fans walked in.

"So how long have you been fans?" Mitchie asked one girl clad in a The Color Green shirt, bandana, and jeans covered with the Color Green patches.

"Forever! I run their unofficial fan club. They are so nice. They me and the other hardcore fans come in early. So who do you know?" The girl asked.

"Oh…Well I don't know the band. I just met someone who works for them." Mitchie responded.

The girl looked confused, "Oh but you've got a family pass…I know because it has a special seal. Only family or _really_ close friends get those passes."

"It must have been a mistake." Mitchie said.

"I guess." The girl said, "Oh they're opening the doors. Good thing we're in front of the barricades. We'd get trampled back there."

Mitchie watched as a horde of girls rushed to the front. Mitchie had to agree with the fan. She was glad she wasn't back there. A while later the opening band started their set. Mitchie was already enjoying herself a million times more than the last show. The opening act finished their set and exited the stage. A hush came over the crowd as the crew finished setting up for the main act. Mitchie couldn't help but get caught up in the crowd's excitement. Finally the stage lights dimmed and figures started walking to the stage. The club erupted in applause as the band members took their places. They started playing the beginning of a song.

"This must be new. I've never heard it before." The fan whispered.

Finally, the last person walked out on stage. The screaming crowd got even louder. Mitchie was excited to finally see the famous Todd Sparrow. He almost seemed to float onto the stage. Mitchie was starting to see his appeal. Even without seeing his face, she could sense an energy around him. He was wearing distressed jeans and a black hoodie. The hood was pulled up over his head obscuring part of his face. He was looking down as he walked to the center of the stage. He finally reached the microphone stand and looked up into the crowd.

"He's so beautiful." Isabella said from Mitchie's other side.

Mitchie didn't hear her because she was too busy gasping. The guy on stage was the same one she'd met at the concert in Philly. Todd Sparrow was the boy she'd stood in front of with a tear-stained face. He was the boy who had teased her. But tonight he was different. That person was a cute, sweet boy. This person looked like an angel. And right now, the angel was looking at her. He was still looking at her when he started singing.

"_A troubled young lady comes in from the rain  
Helpless and hiding from some kind of pain  
She don't know the reason for the way that she feels  
And she don't know the truth but she knows that it's real  
So she throws down her cards and asks God to redeal once more  
One step forward and two steps back  
She might be strange but she has a knack  
She'll lift her arms up to the sky and say  
Oh my God don't you let him say goodbye"_

He didn't stare at her for the whole song, but Mitchie felt like he was. She thought about the fan saying it was a new song, and she thought about her teary-eyed meeting with him last week. It was like he saw right through to her soul. The rest of the concert passed in a blur. Mitchie was left without a doubt that she had just witnessed something special.

"Mitchie! He was looking right at you for like half of the concert." Isabella exclaimed.

"Yeah even I noticed and I was staring at Ryan the entire time." Caitlyn added.

"No he wasn't." Mitchie denied.

"Yes he was. Is there something you'd like to tell us?" Caitlyn asked.

"Um…He's the guy I met at the last show." Mitchie blurted out.

"What!? And you didn't tell us?" Caitlyn asked.

"I didn't know. I didn't get his name and…he looked young and…I don't know." Mitchie said.

"Oh Mitchie. Well he is young. He's 19, but that doesn't matter when he's singing." Isabella said.

"I know." Mitchie replied.

Fortunately the conversation ended as the girls made their way backstage to hang out with the band. The fans in their group rushed forward to meet the guys. Mitchie tried to stay in the back, too embarrassed to talk to Todd. Caitlyn and Isabella were not pleased. They were about to physically force Mitchie to go over to Todd when they were saved the trouble.

Todd had been talking to some of his band members' family when he spotted the girl he'd been looking for. He couldn't really explain why he was so fascinated by this girl. Sometimes inspiration just hit him. And last week when he's saw her tear-stained face, inspiration had hit him. When he'd realized she had no idea who he was, he was relieved. Of course it wasn't like everyone knew who he was, but sometimes he got a little overwhelmed at his own concerts. When he started the band he hadn't even had a serious relationship. A few years later and he still wasn't 100 comfortable with the girls. But he'd been perfectly comfortable with Mitchie. So when he saw her hanging out in the back, he knew that if he didn't go and talk to her she'd do her best to avoid the meeting entirely.

Mitchie watched as Todd walked towards. She took a deep breath. "Please let me speak like a normal person." She thought to herself.

Once he was standing in front of her, he noticed she looked different tonight. Seeing her vulnerable had given him enough courage to talk to her the other night. But tonight she looked…breath-taking. He couldn't seem to say anything but, "Hi."

"Hi." Was all Mitchie could say in response. They stood for a few moments before, Mitchie got up her courage. "I didn't know who you were." She stated the obvious.

Todd laughed at her statement, "I figured. So um…what did you think of the show? I hope you got a better view."

"Oh yeah. The view was beautiful…I mean…the show was beautiful…I mean it was really good." Mitchie stammered. "Oh god. I'm sorry."

"There you go apologizing again. I should have told you, but I never get an honest opinion about the show." Todd replied.

Mitchie frowned; there was that honesty thing again.

"Did I say something?" Todd asked.

"No…I just. I like honesty." Mitchie replied.

"Me too. So honestly, I think you're stunning." Todd said, shocked at his own words.

Mitchie turned beet red. She was silent for a second before saying, "Honestly, I think you are too."

Todd was relieved, "So…I honestly want to know if you want to go out some time?" He asked.

Mitchie frowned again. As much as this boy intrigued her, she just wasn't ready to date anyone right now. "I'm sorry. I can't. But I'd like to be friends. I mean…if you want."

Todd was disappointed, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. "I would love to be your friend."

Mitchie's smile return, "I'm so happy you said that." She said to Todd.

"He's stupid you know." Todd said.

"Who?" Mitchie said, puzzled.

"The boy who broke your heart. He's the dumbest guy I've never met." Todd said.

Mitchie was shocked. Of course he'd seen her cry, but that didn't necessarily mean a boy. Once again she was surprised at how well Todd could see right into her soul. She tried to smile and make it sound like a joke, but there wasn't any laughter in her voice when she responded, "And I'm the dumbest girl."

Authors Note: Ok, so longest chapter I've ever written in any story ever. Now we can get to the good stuff…well we're gonna get closer to Mitchie and Shane meeting again. And if you haven't seen the movie _Girl_…It's about a high school senior who becomes obsessed with an unsigned band, The Color Green. She follows them around and starts a relationship with the lead singer…Todd Sparrow. Obviously the people in the movie are older, in my story their younger. But it's still a great movie. I love the music in it. The song featured in this chapter is "One Step Forward." Ok, that's enough for now.


	6. Yesterday Is Gone

**I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again**

Author's Note: Ok so I wrote this on a plane to Miami and by the pool in Orlando. Anyway, I'm glad you guys all seemed to like Todd. He's like the perfect guy. But don't worry, we'll have Smitchie eventually. Anyway, in this chapter our characters finally learn what the other is doing…ooh.

"_All of my life where have you been? I wonder if I'll ever see you again. And if that day comes I know we could win. I wonder if I'll ever see you again."_

**Chapter Six: Yesterday Is Gone**

_I'm sorry your situation has let you down. I know that things did not go as planned. 'Cause in this time you're feeling alone and sad, this is what you must understand. There is a way. Yesterday is gone. It's a new day. Yesterday is gone_

**SHANE**

The night of final Jam had arrived. Shane was backstage with Tess, Peggy, and Ella.

"Good luck girls." He said. He'd taken himself off the judging panel since he felt it wouldn't be fair for him to judge his…well the girl he was kind of dating.

"Thanks, Shane." They all said.

"Shane, can I get a good luck kiss." Tess asked, fully aware that everyone was looking at them.

To be honest, Shane was reluctant to make public displays of affection. If he was really honest with himself, Shane would realize that he was more reluctant to make public displays of affection with Tess. Something about her didn't sit entirely right with him. But he assumed it had something to do with Mitchie, so he dismissed the thoughts immediately. Shane finally complied by giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. He then left to enjoy their performance from the audience.

Peggy and Ella were excited. Since Shane and Tess had gotten "together," Tess was actually nice. Of course when they weren't physically together she was the same Tess, but that was better than always being the same Tess.

Tess looked in the mirror, making a final make-up check. She looked at two pictures on her dressing room table. One was a picture of her mother. Tess had been disappointed when her mother called to say she couldn't make it to the show. Tess then looked at the picture of Shane. "Well I got the rockstar and I'm about to get the career." She thought to herself. "Try not to mess up." Tess said to the girls as they walked onto the stage.

Both girls rolled their eyes but followed Tess onto the stage. This could be their big break as well.

After their performance, the judges convened. As they were discussing the performances, Shane thought about the entire show. He could tell something was missing. There were lots of radio-friendly "cookie cutter pop" performances. But the show was lacking something… "real." An image of Mitchie came to his mind. "I wonder what she would have done." He thought to himself. Shane immediately shook his head, "She'd be anything but real."

"And the winner of Final Jam is…The It Girls!"

Shane smiled, he'd found his "real girl." She'd exposed herself to him in a way that Mitchie never had. And it looked like everyone else thought Tess was something special too.

**MITCHIE **

Ever since "that day" at Camp Rock, Mitchie had felt like she was putting on a front. She looked and acted happy to the casual observer, but she felt like she was always an inch away from a breakdown. After meeting Todd, that started to change. She wasn't completely her old self, but the pain wasn't threatening to tear her apart.

True to his word, Todd became her friend. Mitchie had never met someone so intuitive before. He seemed to know exactly what to say and do to make her feel better if she was down. One of the things he did was to take her into the studio. It seemed that the "greatest unsigned band" was looking to get signed. They were laying down some demo tracks to submit to several labels who had expressed interest. It would all culminate in New York City in a few weeks.

"So if all of these record labels are interested, why do you have to go to all this trouble?" Mitchie asked the band.

"To get the best deal. If they see the kind of crowds we draw, they'll know what we are worth." Rob, the unofficial manger and co-producer said.

"Always talking finances…We also think it's a good idea to get some great demos down so they know they can trust us with our sound. We don't want them to bring in too many studio big wigs to change our sound." Todd added.

So the band spent days and nights working on perfecting the select songs they would be performing at their showcase. The showcase was shaping up to be a big deal, with a number of industry people attending. Even a few well-known musicians were attending since they'd followed the band's progress for a while. So, the band was in the middle of another late night studio session.

"I think I'm burnt out." Ryan said, throwing his hands in the air. The band was sitting together in the control room listening to one of their tracks yet again.

"I know guys, but we already paid for the studio time." Rob replied.

"Why don't we take a half an hour to regroup." Todd suggested.

"I have a better idea. Why doesn't Mitchie get in the booth. I can practice my production skills." Caitlyn suggested.

Mitchie shot Caitlyn a horrified look, "Uh…I don't…" Mitchie said before getting interrupted.

"Yeah, you're always singing under your breath. Why don't we make use of the studio time. You can even sing one of our songs if you don't have something to sing. Lord knows you must know them all by heart with the number of times you've heard them these past few days." Ryan said

"Um…" Mitchie was again interrupted.

"Actually Mitchie's a great songwriter. In fact we've got one of her songs all prepared. It'd be awesome to actually record it though." Caitlyn said.

"Let's hear it then." Rob said, glad that their money wouldn't go entirely to waste.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but I'd really love to hear you." Todd added. He knew Mitchie loved music and he could tell she had a good voice. But for some reason she was reluctant to sing or talk about her own songs around him.

Mitchie was torn. She was excited about actually recording a song in a real studio, but she was also afraid of singing in front of all these real musicians. It took her a moment to realize that this was a huge opportunity. Her friends would tell her what her chances were at being a real recording artist. It would be better to hear the truth from friends than from scary industry people who would shut her down before hearing her. "Sure. Why not." She finally agreed.

"Great!" Caitlyn said getting some of her things ready.

"Promise to be nice." Mitchie said, nervously.

"We'll just sit back here and pretend not to listen." Todd said.

"And if it sucks, you can always blame it on Caitlyn." Ryan said.

"Oh I'll get you for that." Caitlyn said.

"What'll we do for the music?" Mitchie asked.

"Oh I've got all our tracks right here." Caitlyn said.

"You just carry it around with you?" Mitchie laughed.

"I've always got to be ready in case opportunity knocks. And it's knocking right now so get in there." Caitlyn replied.

Mitchie nervously made it into the sound booth. She put on the head phones and waited for the music to start. She looked out at her friends. Caitlyn was messing around with the controls. The band was talking amongst itself. A few weeks ago this would have been the last place she'd imagine herself. She was in NYC in a recording studio. But somehow it was right…She started singing.

"I've always been the kind of girl that hid my face. So afraid to show the world, what I've got to say…" Mitchie sang.

As she sang Mitchie forgot about everything except how amazing it felt to be in the studio. She didn't think about Shane or Camp Rock. She didn't think about what the band was thinking of her. She just thought about the song and how she _was_ exactly where she was supposed to be.

When she finished, Mitchie was brought back to reality. She had gotten so into the song she hoped the band didn't think she had gone way over the top. She distinctly recalled making some expansive arm movements. She looked up and saw all eyes on her. The band had evidently stopped talking. They way they were all looking at her made her really nervous. At least Caitlyn was smiling, but she'd heard her sing the song a bunch of times. The band members all had blank stares on their faces.

"So..um…what did you think?" Mitchie asked.

The band all seemed to snap out of it at the same moment. They started clapping, much to Mitchie's embarrassment. She made her way back into the control room.

"That was amazing. We had no idea you could sing like that." Rob said.

"Speak for yourself, I knew you would be fantastic." Ryan added.

Mitchie smiled, "Thanks guys." She turned to Todd to see what he thought. The others did the same since Todd had been silent since Mitchie entered the room.

"It was…I can't even describe…" Todd finally uttered.

"Mr. Poet can't come up with anything? That's how you know you're good." Ryan laughed.

Mitchie smiled at Todd who actually blushed.

"We should get out of here. Our time's about up and I think I hear the next group getting restless outside." Rob said.

"Alright. Let's go." Rob said as the group exited the studio.

The group all headed to the subway station to drop Mitchie and Caitlyn off for the night. The rest of the group started walking ahead as Mitchie and Todd hung back. They were walking in silence for several minutes.

"Hey slow pokes, get a move on." Rob yelled from several feet in front of them. Caitlyn immediately elbowed him in the side. "I mean…take your time guys…we've got all day." He said.

Todd finally spoke, "Mitchie, I…you're perfect. Everything about you is completely perfect."

Mitchie started to protest but stopped when she looked up at Todd's face. He had this look on his face that she hadn't seen before. She couldn't describe it but it was a look that would melt anyone's heart. And Mitchie felt something. She didn't think it was possible, but she felt something.

"Mitchie, I know I said we could be just friends and we can, but I have to tell you that I've never felt the way I feel about you." Todd said.

Mitchie knew it was coming, but it still frazzled her. When he'd asked her before, she had no doubts about saying no, but now?

"Let me think about it." Mitchie finally said.

Todd's eyes lit up in response, "Take your time."

Mitchie didn't respond as she heard clapping and cheering. The two realized that they had completely stopped walking and the rest of the group was standing a few feet away listening.

"Let's go." She said, laughing.

And Mitchie did think about it. When she got back to Caitlyn's house she sat in silence for hours. On the one hand she didn't feel nearly as strongly about Todd as she had about Shane. But what was the point of holding on to someone who obviously wouldn't ever forgive her. She'd been so honest with Todd and he'd said she was perfect. But her heart had literally stopped the first time Shane smiled at her.

"Earth to Mitchie! Go get ready!" Caitlyn shouted.

"For what?" Mitchie asked, confused.

"You haven't been listening to anything I've said. The band got finished early with their interview. So we're meeting them at a club downtown." Caitlyn explained again.

Mitchie rushed to get ready. As she was waiting, Caitlyn turned on Hot Tunes TV. Mitchie walked into the room just as the host started talking about something she was very familiar with.

"Shane Gray seems to have shaped up. As we reported several months ago, the pop star member of Connect Three has been an instructor at Camp Rock for the majority of the Summer. Last night was the camp's "Final Jam." The winner of the competition is set to record a duet with the band. We can now exclusively reveal the winner of the competition." The host said before cutting to a video clip from the show. The video showed Tess, Peggy, and Ella singing. "The winners were a group of three girls, named 'The It Girls.' The lead singer is Tess Tyler, daughter of grammy award winning TJ Tyler. Tess may have won something more than the competition." The host said before cutting to a photograph of Shane kissing Tess on the cheek. That was followed by a picture of the two walking off stage hand-in-hand.

Caitlyn tried to shut the TV off as soon as the first picture came on, but wasn't fast enough. She turned to look at Mitchie. Mitchie had a strangely blank expression on her face. She stood in silence for a minute before turning to Caitlyn with that same expression, "Let's go. I need to talk to Todd." She said before turning to walk out of the room and the house.

As the two rode the subway into the City, Caitlyn was torn. She knew exactly what Mitchie was going to do. She was going to jump head first into a relationship with Todd because of what she'd seen on the TV. "Mitchie, you can't believe everything they say." Caitlyn finally said.

"I saw it Caitlyn. I can believe what I saw." Mitchie said finally showing some emotion.

"But you know Tess, she could have manipulated him into it." Caitlyn said.

"He was kissing her. I don't see her grabbing him and forcing herself on him" Mitchie said.

"It was just on the cheek…" Caitlyn said.

"Yeah and how many girls did he kiss on the cheek. He didn't kiss me on the cheek when…" Mitchie abrubtly stopped speaking as tears threatened to spill from her check. "Forget it. I'm moving on." Mitchie said.

"That's just it. You can't just start dating Todd because you're mad about Shane." Caitlyn said.

"I can do whatever I want. If Shane wants to date that two-faced bitch, I can date whoever I want." Mitchie said ending the conversation. However a part of her was screaming that Caitlyn was right. She silenced that part and looked forward to seeing Todd.

The band was all gathered at a hot new club. It wasn't their typical scene, so Mitchie was a bit surprised. Earlier in the day they had participated in an interview with a writer for _The_ Industry News Provider. When the girls found the band, Todd wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Sorry about the location. The writer wants to get some shots of us in the middle of the action…whatever that is. They wanted to do some of the interview, "candidly." Todd's talking to him now." Ryan explained.

"That sounds kind of manipulative." Caitlyn responded.

"Well he's actually a fan. He's been following us for a long time and is just trying to get us to be appealing to the big wigs above him. He wants us to succeed so he's doing what he can to create buzz. He said if the story is good we'll have an article in the Industry newsletter this week. It'll create even more buzz for the showcase. If that goes well, we could land ourselves in a high profile magazine." Rob explained.

"Looks like we're heading to the VIP area….Fancy." Caitlyn said as the guys headed toward another part of the club. As the others mingled, Mitchie sat in a booth waiting for Todd. When Mitchie finally saw Todd, her conviction waivered. He was walking toward her with the biggest smile on his face. When he reached the VIP area, he immediately sat down next to Mitchie and hugged her.

"What's that for?" Mitchie asked.

"For being you." Todd said.

"I'll take it the interview went well." Mitchie responded. She couldn't help smiling back.

"Yeah. Jimmy, the writer, said there was already a lot of great industry buzz. The more we get as an indie band, the more control we may get when…if we get signed." Todd said.

"Of course you'll get signed. I didn't like you when I heard you the first time and look at me now, I worship the ground you walk on." Mitchie joked.

"That's the difference between me and you." Todd said.

"What is?" Mitchie asked.

"I always worshipped the ground you walked on." Todd answered.

Once again Mitchie was about to laugh but that look was back in is eyes. Then and there Mitchie realized she couldn't do it. She cared too much about Todd to lead him on.

"About that…" Mitchie said.

"You don't have to answer right now." Todd assured her.

"I do. I care about you a lot Todd." Mitchie said.

"And you don't want to risk our friendship." Todd said, clearly disappointed.

"It's not that…I mean our friendship does mean a lot to me. But…I'm going to be completely honest with you. Remember when I told you about all that happened at Camp Rock?" Mitchie said.

"Yeah. The whole pretending to be something you weren't and then getting framed for theft." Todd said.

"Yeah but I left out the part about me falling for a guy. You see there was this guy. He has to deal with a lot of people being fake around him. Anyway, we really connected and he opened up to me and I opened up to him. I never felt that way about anyone before. And I think he cared about me too." Mitchie explained.

"So what happened?" Todd asked.

"He was there during the public shaming. And well…I lied to him and he couldn't forgive me. He'd been honest with me despite being wary of people being fake around me. He couldn't even look at me. I'm a horrible person." Mitchie said almost in tears. Saying the words aloud made her realize how much it still mattered to her.

Todd reached over and lifted her chin up. "You are not a horrible person. You may have made a mistake but everyone makes mistakes. I didn't know you for more than five minutes before I realized you were the most genuine person I've ever met. You'd never do anything to hurt another person. So what if you pretended to live a more glamorous life than you did. You did what any other girl who wasn't born to priviledge would do in your situation. You didn't do it to hurt anyone." Todd said.

Mitchie felt a little comforted by Todd's words, "Thanks Todd. It's not true, but thanks."

"Yes it is. So that's why you can't be with me. You still have feelings for this guy?" Todd asked.

"I don't know. I just know that if I said yes, I wouldn't be doing it for the right reasons." Mitchie said.

"What do you mean?" Todd asked.

"Well, I….I found out he sort of moved on and I was about to say yes to dating you." Mitchie said.

"Oh." Todd said.

"It's not that I don't care about you. I do. I just know that if I said yes now, it wouldn't be fair." Mitchie said.

"But you're still open to the possibility that it could happen, just not now." Todd said.

"Yes." Mitchie answered.

"That's good enough for me. He's stupid you know. I don't care what you did. If I had you, I'd never let you go." Todd said.

Mitchie instinctively leaned over to hug him. As they parted, she turned her head to look at Todd. At the same time, Todd turned toward her. Their faces were inches apart. Mitchie knew what was coming but she wasn't completely against it. Todd made her feel so safe. Todd looked into Mitchie's eyes and didn't see any sign of protest. He leaned in and Mitchie closed her eyes. She felt his soft lips touch hers. He was gentle, so gentle. She couldn't help but kiss him back. She may not be feeling burning passion, but she felt comfort in his embrace.

Neither saw the flash going off as Jimmy snapped a candid photo of the couple.

**SHANE**

Shane was back in LA. He should have been ecstatic, but a part of him missed the simplicity of the camp…He missed the outdoors, the freedom, and even the brown-haired liars (especially the brown-haired liars), but he wouldn't admit it to himself.

Shane was sitting in the studio with the rest of the band. Tess, Peggy, and Ella were in the recording booth. It hadn't gone as well as he'd hoped. Tess seemed to feel the other group members were unnecessary. Shane had to agree, three people on one track was a bit much. But the reward was for the winner of Final Jam and they had won as a group.

"Hey, here's an article about that group there's been so much buzz about. The one with that young singer who everyone is calling a musical genius." Jason said.

"The Color Green right?" Nate asked.

"Yeah." Jason said as Shane snatched the magazine out of his hands.

"Let me see that." Shane said. He was tired of hearing the girls arguing.

"Hey! I was reading that." Jason complained.

But Shane didn't hear a word. The magazine was flipped to the article about The Color Green. He'd been hearing about them for a while. They didn't make cookie cutter pop. That may have been the reason it took so long for them to get any label interest. But the times were changing. Shane was curious about what the article had to say. If The Color Green was getting interest, maybe his own new music might get a chance. All of these thoughts vanished as he looked at the article. The first page was a large photo of the band performing. Shane looked at the second page, which was full of candid pictures of the band. One picture drew his eyes immediately. It was a picture of the lead singer as he was kissing a girl. Shane stared at the picture in disbelief. It was Mitchie. Mitchie with her arms around another guy. Mitchie kissing another guy with the lips he had wanted to kiss so badly. Shane felt bile rise up in his throat. He didn't even notice that Tess had come out of the booth. He jumped up from his seat and walked out of the room.

"What's with him?" Tess asked, picking up the magazine he had dropped on the table. Tess also got sick to his stomach when she saw the picture, but not for the same reason. She read the caption below the picture.

"Lead singer, Todd Sparrow and his "someone special," Mitchie Torres, share an intimate moment. Mitchie, an aspiring singer/songwriter, will be singing at the band's upcoming showcase."

Tess grimaced. If Mitchie sang that song, Shane would find out and she'd lose everything. Tess had to come with a plan….fast.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ah! Another long chapter. I wrote even more but I'm going to cut it off here and put it into the next chapter.


	7. Dig In

**I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again**

Author's Note: Ah! Sorry for taking forever. I'm still in the middle of a move so I've been travelling a lot recently. Thanks again for your reviews. I know not that many people are reading this story but I really appreciate those of you who are reading and reviewing. A special thank you to Pagan-Angel13. You gave me such a wonderful review I hope I can live up to it.

Now some clarification, I know the time is way off for this story. In the movie, Mitchie and Caitlyn don't get in trouble until the day of final jam. This obviously was different in my story. Also, this summer is apparently the longest summer in the world, but that's just the way it has to be.

So is the show up for Tess? Will Shane find out who the real "Girl with the voice" is? Read on to find out.

"_All of my life where have you been? I wonder if I'll ever see you again. And if that day comes I know we could win. I wonder if I'll ever see you again."_

**Chapter Seven: Dig In**

_There is nowhere to run. There is no way to hide. Dont let it beat you. Say 'nice to meet you' and 'bye'. Once you dig in, you'll find it coming out the other side. And once you dig in, you'll find you'll have yourself a good time_

**TESS**

After leaving the studio, Tess headed home. She was in her room plotting. She'd thought she had everything when she'd won Final Jam….Shane…The Career…. But once again, that mousy nobody, Mitchie Torres was trying to ruin it for her. It was unlikely that Shane would actually go to the showcase. That wasn't what she was worried about. But the likelihood of someone recording Mitchie and posting on the internet was high. There would be a strong possibility that Shane would see it some way. Tess wasn't willing to take that chance.

After Final Jam, they had all returned to LA. When Shane's label got wind of their budding relationship, they immediately tried to squelch it. It wasn't good for either of their careers if they went public. Much of Shane's appeal came from his single status. Teenage girls wanted to think they had a chance with him. Also, Tess wouldn't be given a chance as a artist if all the girls knew she was dating Shane. Shane hadn't seemed too upset when the label suggested they keep their relationship under wraps. Tess weighed her bragging rights for being Shane's girlfriend against her career and their was no comparison. So Tess and Shane were pretending that they weren't going out. This limited the amount of time they could spent together in public. But Tess made a point to be ultra affectionate when they were around people that knew about them.

And now it was all in Jeopardy. Tess resorted to throwing things as she failed to come up with a way to stop Mitchie from performing at that showcase. She had considered sending an anonymous message to this "Todd Sparrow," telling him about Mitchie's lies at CampRock. But Tess realized it was highly unlikely it'd make a difference. Knowing goody-goody Mitchie, she'd probably told him everything any way. Mitchie would probably never tell another lie in her life. Tess reached under her mattress and pulled out a yellow notebook. She stared at the cover, as if it would give her the answer. Then Tess began to smile, "I used this to steal Shane. Now I'm going to use it to keep him." She said. Tess reached for the magazine with Mitchie and Todd's picture. She found what she was looking for and picked up her cell phone. "Hi. I'm calling about one of the band's featured in your latest issue…The Color Green. I need a mailing address for media inquiries."

Shane was hiding in his apartment. He was in no mood to talk to anyone right now. He'd avoided calls from everyone after driving home from the studio. It was getting late and he realized he hadn't eaten anything since lunch. He got up to head to the kitchen. As he passed the front door, he noticed a stack of mail on his foyer table. Of course, on top of the stack was the current issue of "Top New Music." The grabbed the offending magazine, intending to toss it in the garbage. Of course, he couldn't. Instead, he sat at the kitchen table and opened it. "I can be calm and detached. I'll just read what the article has to say." Shane said to himself.

**Todd Sparrow stands behind the microphone. While he sings, no one makes a sound…no one takes a breath.**

Shane made gagging noises as he skipped the first part of the article. He stopped when he read the word "girlfriend."

"**So do you have a girlfriend?"**

"**Well…not exactly. There's a special someone, but we aren't exactly dating."**

"**Oh so you're friends with benefits?"**

"**No, no…I think she might be too good for me." Todd laughs. **

**It's an evasive answer but somehow we believe him. Later, I get the opportunity to meet the number one candidate for this "special someone." Her name is Mitchie Torres, an adorable brunette you can't help but like. She's young, but so is Todd. Both seem wise beyond their years. The first time I see her, she and Todd are engaged in an intense conversation ending with a hug and a kiss. Not a girlfriend? Only time will tell.**

**After formal introductions are made, we gather to talk about the upcoming showcase. As if on cue, we hear some concerning news. "Silent Glow," the opening band for the upcoming showcase has to drop out. The band considers dropping an opening act all together. Then a band member makes the suggestion that Mitchie do a short set instead. Mitchie, who seems a bit shy, is very reluctant to accept the suggestion. But with everyone in the group working to persuade her, she finally agrees to a "very short set."**

Shane set the paper down. So maybe Mitchie wasn't dating Todd, but that didn't stop her from latching on to the first semi-famous person she met. And now she was going to be part of their show. Maybe that was what she had wanted all along. His mind rebelled at the thought. Mitchie had never even sung around him. If she had wanted to use him for her career she would be singing at every chance she got. That was the mystery of Mitchie. He had no idea what was real and what was a lie. Shane suddenly wanted to talk to someone whose feelings about him were obvious. Shane got up and walked to his phone.

"Hey Tess, you want to hang out?"

Mitchie was starting to think she was in over her head. She didn't know how it happened but suddenly she was going to be performing alone in front of a crowd of industry people and hardcore fans of _The Color Green_. To say she was reluctant would be an understatement. She was terrified. Even Caitlyn was impressed with her.

"I didn't think you'd do it. I mean, I wanted you to, but wow." Caitlyn said as the two sat in her room. These past few days had been crazy so the girls were spending a girls night in.

"You and me both. But then I thought about Camp Rock. Tess got me to doubt myself then and I gave in to her." Mitchie said.

"So is this about Tess? Or is it about Tess and Shane?" Caitlyn asked.

"It's about me." Mitchie said, without hesitation.

"Good answer." Caitlyn said as someone knocked on her door.

"Caitlyn, someone's here to see you and Mitchie." Mrs. Gellar said as she poked her head into the room.

"You owe me 5." Caitlyn said to Mitchie.

"She said someone. If it's Ryan, you owe me 5." Mitchie responded.

Caitlyn and Mitchie walked down the stairs to find both Todd standing in the hallway.

"Oh no, it's you." Mitchie said.

Todd looked confused… "Sorry?" He said.

Mitchie and Caitlyn started laughing.

"What's going on?" Ryan said as he stepped into view.

"Ha!" Mitchie said.

"Ok. It's a draw." Caitlyn said.

Todd and Ryan both looked at each other in confusion.

"Sorry guys. I bet Mitchie 5 that Shane would crash our Girl's Night." Caitlyn said.

"Yeah, and I bet Caitlyn that Ryan would." Mitchie said.

Both guys blushed in unison.

"Aw. We're just messing around. We were hoping you'd show up." Mitchie said.

"Speak for yourself." Caitlyn said.

Mitchie and Todd both smiled. Caitlyn and Ryan had a love-hate relationship. Mitchie and Todd were sure it erred more on the side of love, but neither Caitlyn or Ryan would admit it.

"We actually have a reason for being here." Ryan said.

"A sad, paper thin reason but a reason all the same. We got this in the mail. It's for you." Todd said. He handed a small package to Mitchie.

"Getting fan mail already?" Ryan laughed.

Mitchie reached for the box and saw that it was from Tess Tyler. "More like hate mail." Mitchie said.

"What?" Caitlyn asked, reaching for the box. "Oh." She said when she read who it was from.

"Don't worry about it. We were about to watch a movie if you two want to join us." Mitchie said.

The boys agreed and stayed through the chick flick Mitchie and Caitlyn had planned.

Later that night Mitchie sat in her bed holding the mysterious package. She knew nothing good would come out of it, but she wasn't gonna be scared off by Tess.

When Mitchie saw what was in the package, she was surprised. She'd expected deadly vipers or at least a tarantula. But it was just a yellow notebook, her yellow notebook. There was also what appeared to be a letter. Mitchie opened the letter, curious about what Tess had to say.

**Mitchie,**

**I saw your little article in that music magazine. Actually Shane was the one that showed it to me. Good luck with your little showcase. It must be really scary since you don't have any experience and here you're gonna be singing in front of a bunch of industry people. But I wouldn't worry too much since no one is there to see you. Anyway, I wanted to return this to you. I found it after you left but forgot about it until I read that article. I've been so busy with Shane and Connect Three and recording. We took a look at it actually. Shane thought your "This is real, this is me" song was hilarious. He couldn't stop laughing. I told him to stop but you can't really blame him what with you lying to him and all. Anyway, you should definitely sing it. I'm sure all the other campers will think it's hilarious too…you know in case anyone posts it on youtube. I'd be careful though, there are some loose lips at Camp Rock. I wouldn't put it past anyone to accidentally let people know about all the stuff that happened at Camp Rock. The people who work for Connect Three are always telling me I have to watch out for my reputation. No record label wants to deal with someone with a bad reputation. Anyway, good luck.**

**Tess**

At first, Mitchie wanted to scream. Only Tess could belittle an event by saying it was "little" but also belittle Mitchie by implying she couldn't cut it. Tess would have to try harder than that if she wanted to stop Mitchie from doing what she loved. Then, Mitchie read the part about Shane. He'd actually laughed at her song. Mitchie didn't want to admit to herself how much that hurt. That song was something she'd worked so hard on. But Tess was right, she couldn't blame Shane. Tess didn't fool her with this talk about other campers having loose lips. Tess was threatening her. If she didn't stay out of the spotlight, Tess would make sure everyone knew about her past.

It was funny if Tess had sent that letter when she first arrived in New York, she probably would have backed out of the show entirely. But Mitchie was different now, she was confident in herself. She had her friends to thank for that. But that song…she couldn't bear to have it open for ridicule. Mitchie sat for a while thinking. Caitlyn had gone to bed hours ago, but Mitchie couldn't sleep. Eventually she got up and grabbed her guitar. She walked down to the garage where Caitlyn had her studio set up and started writing a song.

Hours later Caitlyn woke up to find the spare bed in her room empty. On her bed was the now opened package from Tess. Caitlyn guiltily looked at the contents of the box. He box held a yellow notebook with "Mitchie's Songs" written on it. Caitlyn assumed it was the notebook Mitchie thought she had lost. A letter was lying face up on the bed. Once again, Caitlyn felt guilty, but couldn't resist reading it. After finishing the letter, Caitlyn knew that Mitchie would be hurt by the comments about her song. Mitchie had put so much work into that song. They both had. She groggily went in search of Mitchie. Eventually she heard music coming from the garage and wandered in to find Mitchie with a guitar in her hand staring at a pad of paper.

"Mitchie?" Caitlyn said, not wanting to disturb her.

"Caitlyn! You're exactly who I need. Come help me with this song." Mitchie said excitedly.

"Mitchie, are you ok. I read Tess's letter." Caitlyn said.

"Yeah Caitlyn, I'm ok. I want to take "This is me" out of the show." Mitchie said, looking up at her friend.

"I understand, but what are we going to do instead?" Caitlyn asked, trying to hide her disappointment. She had put a lot of work into the song.

Mitchie heard the disappointment in Caitlyn's voice. She hadn't thought about how Caitlyn would feel about dropping the song. She instantly felt terrible. She was so wrapped up in herself, she'd forgotten that this was an opportunity for Caitlyn to show her talent as well.

"I'm sorry Caitlyn. I know how much work you put into the song. But I've got something new I'd really like you to help me get ready for the show. It'll be tight but I know you can do it." Mitchie said.

Caitlyn smiled. Mitchie knew that Caitlyn loved a challenge.

"Alright, I'm in. Let's hear it."

Shane and the rest of the band were in the studio again. They were once again, being perfectionists and tweaking a song for the show. Now that it was only two days away, the guys were getting really nervous. They weren't expecting to see Mitchie and Caitlyn until later that day so they were surprised when the girls showed up at the studio.

"You're exactly what I need right now. I'm worn out." Todd said to Mitchie.

"No time for sweet talk right now. We've got a track to lay down." Caitlyn said.

"What?" Ryan and Todd said at the same time.

"I'm taking _This is me_ out of the set and replacing it with a new song. We need to lay the track for the show." Mitchie explained.

"But why? _This is me_ is a beautiful song." Todd said, confused.

"I'll tell you about it later. I just really need to do this." Mitchie said, not wanting to lie and not wanting to get into it right then.

"The new song is great. We've been working on it all morning." Caitlyn said.

The guys had no choice but to agree. They all worked together to finish the track so that Mitchie could practice at tomorrow night's rehearsal.

Mitchie was nervous, really nervous. She could hear the crowd out front getting restless. Caitlyn was getting ready as was Todd and the band. Mitchie looked down at her clothes and smiled. Isabella, who had been out of town until yesterday, had begged her to get really glammed up. She didn't give in. She was wearing her favorite pair of jeans and t-shirt. At least she'd be comfortable. She was supposed to start with _This Is Me _since it was the song she was the most comfortable with. But now she was starting with her newest song. It was a risk, but she was ready to take it. As the music started, Mitchie took a deep breath. She felt a hand squeezing hers and looked over to find Todd standing next to her. She smiled at him and walked on stage.

The first bars of her song started and Mitchie walked out. There was polite applause but nothing overwhelming. Mitchie had prepared herself for this. These people didn't know her or if they did they only knew her as that girl that may or may not be dating Todd. Absolutely no one knew her music. She'd have to prove to everyone that she deserved to be on that stage. Mitchie took a deep breath and started to sing.

"I am confident, but I still have my moments. Baby, that's just me….Some say I need to be afraid of losing everything because of where I started, where I made my name but everything's the same in a la la land machine…"

It was funny. When she started righting the song, she thought it'd end up being an angry song…a big F you to Tess and Shane. But the song had a mind of its own. Sure people would say things about her, but so what. She was going to go out and do what she thought was right. Forget everyone else. And so Mitchie threw herself into her performance.

As Mitchie finished the final lines to her last song, _Who Will I Be_, she looked out at the audience. The people were actually enjoying themselves. People were clapping for her, because they thought _she_ was good. Ok, so maybe some of them were clapping because she was done and _The Color Green_ was coming. But at least a couple of them had to be clapping for real. If she proved herself to one person in the audience that would be enough.

"Thanks everyone! Now who's ready for the real show to begin?" Mitchie asked the crowed. The crowd screamed in response.

"Well, stay tuned for my very good friends _The Color Green!" _She said as she ran off the stage.

Little did Mitchie know that she did prove herself to at least one person. One person who could change her life forever.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok that's it for now kiddies. Sorry I didn't go into detail about her performance but you can all imagine how much she blew everyone away. Awkward dancing for the win!!


	8. Interlude

**I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again**

Author's Note: Ok, so months and months later, I update. I wrote most of this chapter months ago but I never got around to finishing it. I finally moved and didn't have internet for a long time. Then I got busy with everything else. But anyway, I'll try and update as soon as I can.

So this chapter is a little different. I'm going to bring you up to speed on some big things that have happened in all of the character's lives. Yes, I could make it more like a movie unfolding, but I'd like to get this story rolling. I apologize if this isn't your cup of tea,.

"_All of my life where have you been? I wonder if I'll ever see you again. And if that day comes I know we could win. I wonder if I'll ever see you again."_

**Chapter Eight: Interlude**

After reading about Mitchie, Shane threw himself into his secret relationship with Tess. Tess was thrilled at Shane's sudden interest in spending so much time with her. Despite his intention to forget all about Mitchie, Shane couldn't help but look into how _that_ showcase had gone. He'd searched the internet for "The Color Green showcase" but all he could find were fan girls posting about how sexy Todd looked. He finally found one that mentioned Mitchie, but even he could tell it was slightly biased.

"Todd's "special girl tramp" was there. She sang some songs but I was too busy wondering what Todd even saw in her."

When Shane read it, he didn't respond in the way he assumed he would. He was angry at the girl. Ok so she might be a liar, but Shane could very well imagine what Todd saw in her. Big eyes that seemed to look into your soul…Shane stopped himself before he made it worse. He figured since it was only the day after the show, it would take a day or two for any in depth reviews to surface. Then he got the brilliant idea to go to the website of the magazine that had featured Mitchie in the first place. As luck would have it, the website had a big review of the show "complete with HQ images of the action."

[picture of crowd] The entire room was impossibly cramped. The industry people didn't know what to do with themselves. Sure they were in the exclusive section in the front, but that didn't stop the fans from crowding in on them. The flimsy velvet rope barrier wasn't holding anyone back. As showtime drew near, the antsy crowd started chanting "TCG" as the fans like to call them. "It's cheesy, but it's a lot easier to chant than The Color Green. And we want them to know we support them all as a group…not just Todd." One fan explained. "But Todd _is_ a genius." She was sure to add.

Before the fans would get what they wanted, there was one person standing in their way (in more ways than one). The band's manager stepped on stage as the crowd got even louder. [picture of manager] He thanked everyone for coming before telling everyone that their fantastic opening act would be on stage shortly. This was the test, how would the crowd respond. It was a split crowd. Half the crowd politely clapped. The other, mainly girls, were stubbornly silent. It was a testament to how dedicated they were to Todd that they didn't boo as I assume they wanted to. But the manager wasn't having any of it. "Ok guys I know you've never heard her, but I promise she's great. And more importantly, the band wants you to give her a chance. So let's see if you can give her a real welcome, a TCG fan welcome!" He said. This got the crowd screaming again.

When Mitchie Torres first stepped on stage, the crowd seemed to be silent for a minute. They were passing judgement based on her appearance rather than her talent. Fortunately, she seemed to pass muster. Unlike other teen pop stars of today, she wasn't dressed beyond her years. There was no glitter or revealing outfits. No dyed hair, no high heels. She was wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. She looked exactly like she could be a girl in the crowd. But the second she opened her mouth, she changed. She sang with passion and abandon. She made the listener feel what she was feeling. Her voice was unenhanced by heavy beats. She had no intricate choreographed routines. It was just a girl and her talent on the stage for everyone to see. By the end of the show it was obvious she had won over a fair share of that tough crowd. Of course not every girl was clapping, but the smile on Mitchie's face clearly indicated she didn't care. And for those who couldn't see her smile, she told us exactly how she was feeling, "Thank you everyone. Thank you for giving me a chance. This was the greatest night of my life." But then Mitchie brought up the one thing that could turn the crowd against her. "And I just want to say that I'm exactly like every one of you. I am just a fan. A very lucky fan. And as far as Todd goes. We're friends. Just friends. But I can't honestly say that we'll stay just friends. I don't know…he's really cute and really sweet and he's a…" She stopped to see if the crowd could complete the statement. The crowd obliged, "musical genius." "Yes he is and come on girls. Who wouldn't want to date him?" Mitchie asked in a conversational tone. Some how, by showing that she _was_ just like them, Mitchie was winning the crowd over. They all started to laugh. "Exactly. But for now, we're just friends and who knows maybe it'll stay that way and he'll introduce one of you as his girlfriend." She said. The crowd started to scream again. Did they just see a star in the making? Only time will tell.

While reading the article, Shane avoided looking at the pictures of Mitchie. It was funny, he could almost pretend he didn't remember what she looked like. It was the benefit of her not being a celebrity. He didn't have to see her face everywhere. When he finally looked at the pictures he almost forgot what she'd done. She was standing on the stage looking like the girl he thought he knew, but somehow different. Mitchie always looked like an ordinary girl. This girl looked like a star. Shane started to worry that he might being see more of her face than he wanted.

****

A few weeks later, Mitchie was constantly pinching herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. All of her dreams seemed to be coming true. The Color Green had gotten signed, of course. Several record labels had called immediately following the showcase. They had their pick of several labels which were open to allowing the band a large amount of creative control. This wasn't a surprise to Mitchie. But Mitchie did get a surprise.

It was a few days following the showcase. Mitchie had gotten great feedback from the industry execs at the showcase. But the consensus seemed that she was a little too "raw" for the predominatly perfectly packaged female pop stars of the day. There was always room for a group of talented and attractive guys. A female singer had so much more to contend with when trying to break into the industry. That day Mitchie was hanging out with the guys when they'd decided to run out and get some food. Mitchie had stayed behind to finish working on a song she was writing. While she was working someone's cell phone rang. Mitchie immediately answered it.

"Hi. This is Samantha Francis. I'm calling from Rebel Road Records. Is this Rob Graham's phone?" The caller asked.

"Yes. He's not available at the moment. Can I take a message?" Mitchie answered.

"Well I'm actually trying to get in contact with Mitchie Torres." Samantha said.

"Oh…well you've got her." Mitchie said, surprised.

"Oh great! I'd like to talk with you if you've got some time." Samantha said.

"Well, what's this about?" Mitchie asked.

"I'd much rather talk in person, but I think you're a very talented artist and I'd like to talk to you about developing your career." Samantha answered.

Mitchie almost started hyperventilating. She was sure this must be some scam, but the caller assured her she was serious. She even suggested they meet at the label's New York offices so Mitchie could be sure she was legitimate. So Mitchie agreed to a meeting the following day. She could barely contain her excitement when she told everyone else the good news. They all claimed they weren't surprised that someone was interested in Mitchie. They were just surprised it took so long.

****

Samantha Francis was an up-and-coming music executive. Ok, so she worked for Rebel Road Records which was a subsidiary of Zenith Records, which happened to be owned by her father Richard Francis. But she had worked her way up to where she was now. She was responsible for developing new artists. She typically didn't scout talent, that was a job she'd done while still working her way up the corporate ladder. Nevertheless, she'd attended _The Color Green_'s showcase.

It had all started when some bigwigs at Zenith had approached her to develop their "hot new artist." She'd spent one day with Tess Tyler and knew there was no way she'd work with her. Apparently, Tess had won some contest to record a song with _Connect Three_. Actually a group of girls had won but the label decided that they'd be better off with the solo artist. The other girls were now relegated to being Tess' background vocalists. The first time she met Tess, she could see that the other girls never had a chance. Tess was used to being the center of attention and anyone who got in her way was in danger of getting run over.

Samantha had spent the past few years developing artists she truly saw potential in. She specialized in organic acts, with a solid base of musical talent. She may not have been behind the most commercially successful acts, but she was proud to say a number of her acts were very critically acclaimed. So when Zenith threw Tess Tyler at her, she had no idea what they were thinking. She agreed to spend the day with Tess before she committed to working with her. She figured Tess deserved the benefit of the doubt. Her mother may be a cookie cutter pop legend. But growing up in a musical environment may have inspired Tess to truly appreciate music. It took about half an hour for Samantha to realize that Tess did get inspired by her mother…Inspired to think she was the center of the universe. So after the seemingly unending day, Samantha called her superiors and refused to work with Tess. The arguments went all the way up until she reached her father.

Samantha wasn't afraid of her father. But she knew he'd have some choice words with her for challenging her superiors. Samantha made her case rationally. Right now the times were ripe for more organic acts. Even Zenith Records own _Connect Three_ were going more organic. Tess needed a serious image and attitude adjustment if she wanted to make it. Richard Harris, wasn't blind. He knew that Samantha wasn't completely wrong. But he also saw the drive in Tess' eyes. She was tirelessly pursuing her dream. He had seen the same drive in TJ's eyes when she'd first started. Back then he was struggling to get his new record label up and running. TJ's success had allowed him to create the top record label he now ran. So when TJ had asked him to give her daughter some support, he figured it was the least he could do. But now his daughter was refusing to work with her. In the end, a plan was devised. Tess would be sent out of the country to work with a team of pop music professionals. She would develop a more organic sound and get some help with cultivating an image. Europe was always a great place to develop artists. In the meantime, Samantha had 6 months to create her own version of a pop star. If Samantha was so sure that an "organic" act was the pop star of the future, she'd have to create one. If not, she would be working for Tess when she came back or she'd be out of the job.

So Samantha headed to the _Color Green_ showcase. Of course she knew exactly what label was after them, Eclipse Records, were all but locked into a deal with the band. But Samantha was desperate. She'd been listening to demos and calling scouts nonstop, trying to find a great organic pop act. So she'd decided to go see the show. Maybe some of the people at the show might have some good leads. When Samantha arrived at the venue she was disappointed to find out that the opening act had cancelled. She'd heard good things about the group. She heard some girls commenting about the "stupid girl who was going to be opening for them just because she'd gotten Todd to like her." Samantha had cringed when she'd heard it. It was like Tess all over again. But when Mitchie actually took the stage, Samantha immediately realized how wrong she was.

At first glance, Mitchie looked like any other teen. In fact, Samantha was sure she wouldn't be able to pick her out in a crowd. That wasn't exactly a sign of a pop star. But then Mitchie began to sing. It was like she completely lit up. Samantha couldn't take her eyes off the young singer. This was what Samantha had been looking for. To top it all off Mitchie actually played the guitar during one of her songs. When Mitchie spoke to the audience, there was such a genuineness about her that was exactly the right amount of excited teen and talented performer. Samantha knew she had to act quickly. She clutched her camera, which she had used to film one of Mitchie's songs, and left before _The Color Green_ even took the stage.

********

Mitchie spent a little too much trying to decide what to wear. On the one hand, she didn't want to look like she was trying to be someone she wasn't but she really didn't want to look like a clueless 15 year old. In the end she opted for comfort. She put on a "nice" t-shirt and some "nice" jeans. Her mother accompanied her to the meeting. Her mother had flown in just a few days before the showcase. She was looking into some business opportunities in New York.

When Mitchie first saw Samantha, she breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been half expecting someone dressed in a starched suit with a Bluetooth headset in her ear and a Starbucks drink in the other. Instead she saw a casually dressed, young woman wearing a big smile. It took Mitchie all of 30-seconds to feel like she would get along great with Samantha.

"Look, I know this is very sudden. But I wanted to put everything on the table. Basically my job is on the line and I'm putting it in Mitchie's hands. I know that's a lot of responsibility, but I am absolutely positive she can make it. If what I saw at the showcase is any indication, Mitchie has something special. She has the power to change people's perceptions. These were some of the most hostile people around and she made them stop and listen. I want to help Mitchie develop into the star I know she can be." Samantha said after explaining her situation and what she would like Mitchie to do. Unwittingly, she'd left out the identify of the person who had caused Samantha to have to do this, Tess Tyler.

Mitchie's mother sat in stunned silence. Here was someone high in the music industry willing to put her job on the line for Mitchie. Mrs. Torres was torn between her faith in Mitchie and the intense amount of pressure this would place on her daughter.

Mitchie had been mostly silent throughout the talk. She now took the opportunity to speak. Despite not knowing that Tess was the reason behind Samantha's need to find a star, she thought of Tess and her pursuit of being a "star." She didn't want to be that girl. "Samantha, I don't know if I can be the teen pop star. I don't know if I want to be." Mitchie finally said.

Samantha smiled at Mitchie. It was exactly what she had hoped Mitchie would say. So many people put on a front of being "different" but they all wanted one thing, to be a star. "What do you want, Mitchie?"

"I just want to sing. I want my music to be heard. And I want…well if anyone can connect with my music…if it makes them feel like they're not alone…that's what I want." Mitchie said in earnest.

"And that is why I know you're the right person for this. I would never pick someone who I thought was in it for the fame and fortune. I want to find someone who really is in it for the music. I want to make that person into a star, but not a typical teen star. I want to make that person into the type of person that young people can feel connected to. You'd be out there singing for all the regular girls, all the insecure girls, all the girls who just need someone to acknowledge them and what their going through." Samantha said.

In the end, Mitchie and her mother agreed to work with Samantha. She was given a development deal. She'd work as hard as she possibly could on a single and one or two additional songs. Then they'd go straight into promotion, including touring and radio visits. Mitchie was on the fast track.

Mitchie couldn't believe her luck. Everything was perfect, she had everything she could ever wish for. She had the best parents in the world. She had the best friends in the world. She had a boy who was willing to wait until she was ready. She should be the happiest girl in the world. But there was that one thing missing. That one smile, that one laugh, that one head of perfectly groomed hair. But Mitchie refused to let that get her down. This was her time to shine.

***Ok, so in case you were worried, Samantha is going to be just a secondary character. I'm not a fan of stories that introduce too many random characters that you don't really care about. I already introduced all of _The Color Green_, so I'm not gonna make Samantha a big nuisance. I just mentioned someone that Mitchie impressed in the last chapter and I needed a reason to speed things up.***


	9. Are You Gonna Go My Way

**I Wonder If I'll Ever See You Again**

Author's Note: Hello hello. Ok so I have to admit I haven't read any of the random reviews coming in for fear of them saying, "WTF is wrong with you." But I am going to try and get this written despite having a million other things to do.

"_All of my life where have you been? I wonder if I'll ever see you again. And if that day comes I know we could win. I wonder if I'll ever see you again."_

**Chapter Nine: Are You Gonna Go My Way?**

"_I was born long ago. I am the chosen I'm the one. I have come to save the day and I won't leave until I'm done. So that's why you've got to try. You got to breath and have some fun. Though I'm not paid, I play this game and I won't stop until I'm done. But what I really want to know is are you gonna go my way? And I got to got to know."_

_**3 weeks later**_

**Shane**

Shane and the rest of Connect Three were hard at work in the studio. This time around, recording was completely different for him. They were finally making music they could be proud of. He wasn't sure that his fans would embrace it, but for once it didn't matter. Of course whenever he thought of that a memory would inevitably come to mind…sitting by the water "I know of one girl who would by that record." It was becoming harder and harder to put Mitchie's image out of his mind. He had his record label to thank for that.

The first thing they did was send Tess off to some country in Europe…ok he should be more informed on his girlfriend's whereabouts…he was pretty sure it was Sweden. She was attending some secret pop star "boot camp" from what he gathered. He'd found out that the "Pop star factory" reference that the media loved to use was not just a myth. He got random calls from her but they were so full of "Oh my gosh you should see the clothes…" that he zoned out most of the time. Although he still wasn't admitting it, he'd started dating Tess partially to keep his mind off Mitchie…now that Tess was out of the country he had a difficult time figuring out why he'd started dating her in the first place.

The second thing his record label had done was sign Mitchie. Ok so it was one of their subsidiary labels, but still it was under his own label. When he'd heard the news a few weeks ago, he'd been too shocked to react.

"Hey, hurry up Shane we're going to be late to the meeting." Nate called from Shane's living room. "Ok, ok, I'm coming." Shane said exiting the bathroom. They were set to discuss the band's new sound with the label bigwigs. "Wow." Nate said as he took in Shane's appearance. Shane had decided if he was going to sell the more organic sound, he'd have to be less pretty pop star and more singer/songwriter. He'd opted for a t-shirt and "loose-fitting" jeans. "What, pants not tight enough?" Shane joked. "Actually, yeah, they make your butt look big." Jason teased. The boys all left and headed to the label's office.

When they entered the building, they glanced at the wall of artists in the lobby area. Of course, there was a big picture of Connect Three. "See I told you your pants weren't tight enough." Jason said referring to Shane's pants in the picture. Shane laughed it off and was about to walk to the elevator when Jason said, "Hey isn't that…" Nate jabbed him in the ribs before he could finish. But it was too late, Shane turned around to look at what they were looking at. They were standing by the smaller images of artists in development. At first Shane thought they were talking about Tess' picture, but it had been up for a few weeks. But then he a saw the picture they must be talking about. It was a brunette standing behind a mic stand. She was wearing a black blazer over a red dress, paired with a pair of black converse sneakers. She was holding an electric guitar. The girl was looking straight head with a smile, smirk that you couldn't read. She seemed to be daring you to say something about her. She was intriguing, She was Mitchie. As if he needed to he glanced at the blurb accompanying the picture.

"Mitchie Torres joins Rebel Road records, a subsidiary of Zenith Records. She brings a fresh new take on the pop genre, with her stunning vocals and heartfelt lyrics. Media enquiries should be addressed to Samantha Francis…"

He stood in silence for a moment, unable to take in the information. Finally he just shook his head and called to his bandmates, "We're going to be late." He said as he walked to the elevators. Nate and Jason looked at eachother and shrugged their shoulders as they followed him.

It had taken him a day or two to even address the issue with his friends. And then it was to just say, "Hey guys, I just wanted to say its not a big deal about....M…that girl from Camp Rock. We probably won't even see her since she's on Rebel Road. I haven't even heard of any of the artists on that label." Shane said, a bit more spitefully then he'd planned. Nate and Jason were doubtful, but if Shane chose to ignore her than they would too. Easier said than done.

The band had just finished up recording for the day when their manager Greg walked into the room. He was just getting off the phone as the guys started to get their things together to leave. "Hold up guys, we've got some exciting plans to discuss." Greg said. The guys all sat down to hear what brilliant plan Greg had next. Greg hadn't been too keen on the idea of their new sound, but once the label okayed it, he'd thrown himself into figuring out how to promote their new music. So far he'd come up with: Connect Three – back to nature, a documentary showing them trying to fend for themselves in some random wilderness; Connect Three: Search for the great American songwriter, a reality show; and countless other similar plans. Luckily the label hadn't been really responsive.

'I've come up a great way to promote your new sound." Greg said.

Connect Three rolled their eyes, it always started that way.

"Don't roll your eyes. This time, I mean it. I talked to the label and they love the idea. We're calling it "Connect Three: Hometown Connection." Greg explained.

"Don't tell me, it's a reality show." Shane said.

"Yes, but it won't really be about you…it's about the music." Greg said.

The band was intrigued, "Go on." They said.

"Ok, so we're going to do a promotional tour with your new material. But we'll have a contest to find an opening act at each date. You'll be playing one city a week so you'll still have time to work on your record. Each week we'll ask for entries for each concert city. They'll post videos online of them performing a song. We'll have interns or something sort through them and find a few that have potential. Then you guys will look at them and choose 3 bands for the live show. The bands will perform in a single show to be broadcast on tv. Then America votes for their favorite band. That band gets to open for you at the show in their city. We'll do this for the 8-week tour. Then the final show we'll have a big finale where the bands will get together to perform in front of a live studio audience and America gets to pick the band that will get a record deal from Zenith." Greg explained.

"Ok so how does this promote us?" Shane asked.

"Well each week we'll show the winning bands performance from the previous week and a new song from the album being performed by you guys on the tour." Greg explained.

The guys conferred for a few minutes before deciding that it wasn't a half bad idea. "So we do get to pick which band gets to the show." Nate asked. "Yes, I knew you'd be worried about having a bunch of cookie cutter pop bands picked by the label so you guys get to choose the finalists." Greg confirmed. "Well then it sounds like a pretty good idea." The band responded.

"Great you'll be ready in 3 weeks?" Greg said. "Three weeks?!!" Shane asked. "Yeah we'll need those three weeks to get the website up and entries for the first week." Greg explained. "But we haven't even gotten final cuts of any of our songs yet." Jason protested. "But that's the point. We want the show to be very organic. Like you guys just wrote these songs and want the audience to hear them straightaway…which you will be doing anyway since you'll be writing while touring." Greg responded. The guys had to admit it was a pretty great plan. "Wow Greg…you've really impressed us." Nate said. Greg smiled, "Come on guys, I've got ideas." Greg said. He didn't mention that most of the idea had come from his friend Samantha. "Oh and the label suggested you take one of our new artists on tour with you as another opening act." Greg added. "Tess?" Shane asked, semi-hopeful, semi-worried. "No she's busy with bimbo bootcamp…I mean she's immersed in the musical process. No a new girl we just signed, she apparently has an organic sound." Greg said. "Who?" Jason asked. But Shane already knew what was going to come out of Greg's mouth as soon as he heard "organic sound." "Her name's Mitchie Torres, she's about your age Nate, maybe you'll hit it off." Greg said. Nate just gave a nervous laugh and looked at Shane. But Shane had already walked out of the studio. "This is going to be a long 8-weeks." Nate said to Jason. "How can it be a long 8-weeks…8-weeks is 8-weeks." Jason responded.

**Mitchie**

The last 3-weeks had flown by in a blur. After agreeing to join the label, Mitchie had been thrust into an exhausting schedule of photoshoots, label meetings, and recording. She didn't know how she'd have gotten through it without Sam. Sam was always there to make sure that the label didn't try and change her too much. Of course she'd been some tips on refining her image. But overall she was still "Mitchie." She'd been apprehensive when the label had a sent a stylist to her apartment (She'd been give an awesome apartment to stay in while working on her demo). But Samantha had explained the stylist would just be looking at what Mitchie liked to wear and find things that were a little more high-end but maintained the same style. She'd get the final say on what she wore. Mitchie found it funny that she'd be wearing a $150 t-shirt that looked just like the $5 t-shirt she already owned, but if the label wanted to spend the money…

The only downside to her new life was that Todd wasn't there to share it with her. He had left for LA where he was working on his major record label release. The Color Green was on the fast track for fame. Within a week of being signed, one of their songs had hit the most popular downloads on Itunes. The band had wanted to stay in New York to make their record. But the label had lined up some amazing co-producers and writers to help out with the album…people they'd dreamed of working with. So the band packed up and left for LA.

The band had thrown a party on the night before they left. Mitchie was a bit disappointed she hadn't gotten to spend much alone time with Todd recently. She missed their time together. But she couldn't begrudge the rest of their friends and die-hard fans their fun. So she had attended the party with Caitlyn. An hour into the party, Ryan came up to Mitchie and Caitlyn who were sitting on a couch.

"Ok who died?" Ryan asked. Mitchie turned to Caitlyn and they both laughed when they realized they were both sitting sullenly by themselves. "Looks like something died in your hair." Caitlyn responded, referring to Ryan's wild looking hair. "Hey it's the hottest new look…they call it vampire-sheek." Ryan said."Sure." Caitlyn said."If I didn't know better, I'd say you were sulking over me." Ryan said. Caitlyn was quick to deny it, "You wish." Ryan's face softened, "You're right." It was the first time either had come close to admitting they liked eachother. "Do you want to dance?" Ryan asked. Caitlyn, speechless for once, just nodded.

Mitchie watched them walk away with a half smile. "Took them long enough." Todd said sitting down next to Mitchie. "Oh I didn't see you there." Mitchie said. "Too busy brooding?" Todd asked. "I just…I just don't know how I'm supposed to do this without you guys….without you." Mitchie admitted. "Hey, you'll do it. You'll blow everyone away." Todd said, gently touching Mitchie's face. "How do you know." Mitchie asked. "Because you blow me away ever single time I see you." Todd responded. Mitchie blushed, trying to pull away. But Todd's grip was firm. Mitchie looked at him, confused. "I know we're going slow, but I just want to tell you there won't be a second of the day I'm not thinking about you." Todd said. Mitchie didn't know what to do. A part of her wanted to say that's how she felt too and just throw herself into a relationship with Todd. But another part of her said she'd be lying. So instead she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. But Todd thought she was leaning for a real kiss so he moved in and kissed her. As their lips touched, Mitchie was torn. She hated herself for enjoying the kiss but she hated herself for immediately thinking that this just wasn't right. But she was too weak to pull away. In the end, she still didn't know where Todd and her stood. But she'd have several weeks to think it through.

A few weeks later, Mitchie was taking a much needed break from recording by eating fast food with Caitlyn. They were both startled by the knock on the door as they weren't expecting anyone. When she saw Samantha through the peephole, she couldn't help the thought that sprung to mind. She got it every once in a while. She imagined Sam was there to tell her that they'd all been kidding about her making music. But she brushed the thought aside, that was the old Mitchie. The new strong Mitchie was confident in herself. She opened the door and smiled as Sam hugged her.

"Hey I've got some great news." Samantha said after sitting down. "We've booked you a tour." Samantha said. Mitchie couldn't help but be excited. "Ok my friend Greg manages Connect Three and we came up with this great way to promote their new album…." Samantha went on to explain the concept to Mitchie. Mitchie was only half listening. "So I bet you wonder where you fit in." Samantha said expectantly. "Oh yeah." Mitchie responded. Sam didn't notice Mitchie's sudden mood change. "Well they think it'd be the perfect opportunity to showcase your music as well. Since they want to go more organic and you already are…And it'd be a great way for you to get exposure. I think it's a great way to get you out there." Samantha said adding, "And to save my job. What do you think?" Samantha explained. Mitchie wasn't sure what to say. Caitlyn understood and said, "Sorry Mitchie is just shocked is all. She just got used to recording in the studio…" "Of course. Just think about it, but we have to act fast to get you ready for the tour in three weeks. Think about it but we've got to commit by tomorrow." Samantha said before leaving.

"So?" Caitlyn said after giving Mitchie a few minutes.

"It's a great opportunity." Mitchie said.

"But." Caitlyn said.

"And Samantha has so much riding on this." Mitchie said.

"But." Caitlyn said.

"And opening acts don't have to spend time with the headlining act." Mitchie said.

They were getting to the root of it… "But." Caitlyn said.

"But…why'd it have to be them." Mitchie finally said.

"It's ok to say no." Caitlyn responded.

Mitchie thought about it. Of course she could say no, but what did that say about her. That she was too afraid to go on tour with him? That she wasn't ready for the big time? "I know, but…this is it. This is my chance to show that I'm bigger than this. If they are ok with me being on tour than so am I. I'm not backing down from this." Mitchie finally said.

**Somewhere else, Shane was trying to decide if he **_**was**_** ok with Mitchie being on tour with them.**

**Authors Note:** Ok, that's it kiddos. More when I get the inspiration.


End file.
